Season 2 of Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle will introduce viewers to the “man in the high castle” himself, author Hawthorne Abendsen, the show’s executive producers said at today’s TCA. The series is based on Philip K. Dick’s 1962 alternative-history novel that explores what might have happened in the Allied Powers had lost World War II.

“Yes. That was supposed to be big news,” joked executive producer Isa Dick Hackett — daughter of Philip K. Dick — after the panel. She was referring to the fact that the announcement that this key character from the novel would appear in the TV series seemed to get little response from the audience.

Also confirmed today: Season 2 will introduce a new cast member. Bella Heathcote will play Nicole, a new love interest for Joe Blake (Luke Kleintank).

Producers and cast were purposefully vague about Season 2 story developments in the complex dual world of the show. And they were equally noncommittal about the effect of developer/showrunner Frank Spotnitz leaving the show earlier this year.

Zucker said that even though Spotnitz has left, “nothing has changed with the ensemble of this show” and that the team continues the direction Spotnitz set in course (Spotnitz remains as one of the EPs). Zucker said there had not been “some kind of coup” that would change creative direction.

Zucker described the show’s current “unique” chain of command: “We are running in many ways like a republic. … There are sort of senior powers in sort of every aspect of (the show) that Frank put in place. No one would choose to build a show this way, (but) at this point we have, I think, a system that is working as good as we can make it, and we will continue to find ways to improve it.”

Season 2 of The Man in the High Castle premieres December 16 on Amazon Prime Video.